Author

About the Author /

Sarah is a true multi-hyphenate within the film industry. Alongside her role as Associate Editor & Head of Outreach for Directors Notes, her extensive festival experience ranges from MC and juror duties to previously serving as Deputy Director of Brighton Rocks, where she helped steer its growth into a BIFA-qualifying event. Sarah also produces for Brighton film collective The Imaginary Project and contributes as a freelance writer for publications including 1.4 and Shots Magazine.

Live Action, Premiere

Johannes Moe Blurs the Psychiatrist-Patient Dynamic With Devastating Consequences in ‘Lighting Up the Darkness’

Johannes Moe unpacks how Denmark’s mental health system failures reshaped his film and why humour was an essential element of its devastating narrative.

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Live Action

Riffy Ahmed’s ‘The Call’ Presents an Improbable Hero in Her Tower Block Meditation on Intergenerational Bonds

Riffy Ahmed discusses integrating magical realism into her short film which offers a fresh take on the emotional dynamics of mother/daughter relationships.

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Awards, Film Festival

Directors Notes Presents: The WeAreDN Awards 2025

After the resounding success of last year’s launch, Directors Notes is thrilled to present our 2025 edition of the WeAreDN Awards.

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Live Action

Transactional Intimacy Morphs Into a Surreal Meditation on Consumption in Talia Shea Levin’s ‘Make Me a Pizza’

Marxism, melting cheese, and mayhem: Talia Shea Levin takes us inside the saucy structural logic of her deliciously absurdist pizza porno parody.

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Live Action, Premiere

Priscilla Galvez Serves up a Fresh Look at Female Creativity in Her Banned Body Horror Debut ‘A Fermenting Woman’

Challenging outmoded perceptions of what’s socially acceptable, Priscilla Galvez explains why being banned by YouTube is a badge of honour for her short.

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Documentary, Premiere

Leah Loftin Adapts Frontline Victim Testimony of Putin’s Invasion In ‘Dictionary of Emotions in a Time of War’

Leah Lofitn unpacks the rapid, bare-bones process used to create her expressionistic non-fiction short portraying first-person Ukrainian wartime experiences.

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Live Action, Premiere

Sam Baron’s ‘Office Royale’ Is a Scathing Corporate Satire That Will Keep You Guessing Until the Final Bang

Sam Baron reveals how camerawork, coordinated stunts and top-notch performances combined to enhance the dark comedy of his bloody office survival short.

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Live Action, Premiere

Stuck in Rut a Couple Make a Risky Move To Save Their Marriage in Colin O’Toole’s Comedy ‘Cul-de-sac’

Colin O'Toole talks about using tension as the narrative fuel of his comedy where a couple in a waning marriage try an unconventional method of reconnection.

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Podcasts

Sandhya Suri on Crafting a Nuanced Crime Thriller About Violence Against Women in ‘Santosh’

Sandhya Suri discusses her decade-long journey to bring Santosh to life, blending crime thriller tension with a searing critique of gendered violence in India.

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Live Action, Premiere

Politeness Becomes Horror in Dave Paige’s Socially Anxious Dark Comedy ‘Deep Tish’

Dave Paige shares the inciting awkward massage which triggered his amusement, sparking the idea for his darkly comedic tale of socially anxious politeness.

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Film Festival

9 Standout Short Films From BFI Flare 2025

As BFI Flare the UK's largest queer film festival gets underway we share our top 9 short films and tease some of the most exciting world premieres screening.

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Podcasts

‘Sister Midnight’: Exploring Misanthropy and Marriage with Karan Kandhari

Karan Kandhari on directing his debut feature, protecting his vision, capturing the nuances of marriage & why laughing audiences are the ultimate drug.

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